Page 59 of Take My Kiss
I can’t inhale a full breath, and everything around me is blurry.
“Lily, did you see him leave?” I kneel in front of her, tears welling in my eyes. “Was Sam in bed this mornin’?”
She shrugs. “I dunno.”
I’ve been up for an hour and didn’t hear any noise outside the bedroom, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s on the opposite end of the front entrance and down the hall from theirs.
“Amelia, stay with Lily. I’m gonna call Bodie and drive ’round the property for him. Maybe he went to the river.” Colton grabs his boots and phone.
“Oh my God…he’s not that good a swimmer. Why would he go down there on his own?”
“He wanted to go fishin’ again, but I told him we should find some other things to do on the ranch, but he was insistent that we go before doin’ those things. And he knows where I put the fishin’ equipment and canoe, so I’ll check there first.”
“Fuck, you think he’d go in the water by himself?”
“I dunno.” He swipes his keys off the counter. “I’ll find out.”
“I can’t just sit and wait,” I cry, panicked.
“You gotta be here in case he returns. I’ll call Bellamy to come sit with y’all.”
“This can’t be happenin’ again…” I mutter, leaning against the wall. “Why would he leave on his own? I told him! I told him to never leave without tellin’ me!”
“Darlin’, look at me.” Colton lifts my chin, crouching in front of me. “Try to stay calm, okay? Breathe. I’ll call as soon as I know anythin’. We’ll find him.”
He kisses the top of my head before squeezing my shoulder.
“Lily, stay with your mommy.”
She sits next to me, wrapping her small hand around my arm. Remy comes to my other side, resting his head on my knee.
“What if the canoe tips over? Or whoever’s been followin’ us was watchin’ the house and saw him leave? What if he’s not even on the property anymore? What if someone broke in and took him?” I swallow down the lump in my throat, choking back more tears as my mind spirals with the worst-case scenarios.
“Remy wouldn’t let that happen. He’s trained and would’ve alerted us immediately. When we took Sam fishin’, Bodie and I taught him all ’bout water safety, so if he’s in the canoe, he’s probably wearin’ a life jacket.”
God, I hope so. Better yet, I hope he’s on land.
“Colton, please,” I plead when he stands. “Bring my son back to me.”
chapter twelve
Colton
Jumping in my truck,I’ve never felt panic and fear like this before. Although Sam’s not my son, I care deeply about him as if he’s my own. I slept so hard last night after going to the drive-in, and now I’m kicking myself for not hearing him walk around this morning.
Sam’s a smart kid, so if he was determined enough to go fishing by sneaking out of the house, he knew enough to get out the canoe and fishing supplies. But he doesn’t weigh enough to steady the canoe or strong enough to do the paddling on his own. It could tip over before he even gets inside it.
I go down the driveway with my window open so I can look out and call his name. The sun is barely awake, so most of the area is covered in darkness. Trees line the gravel road that leads to the other roads on the property.
Grabbing my phone, I click on Bodie’s name. I’ll be surprised if he answers, though, since it’s our day off. As predicted, it goes to voicemail. I sent him a text instead of leaving a message.
Colton
Sam is missing. Call me.
Then I text Bellamy and cross my fingers she’s awake.
Colton
